WHAT WENT WRONG Jodie Foster & John Hinckley Jr. (with RedHanded)
Apr 17, 2026
Hannah Maguire, true crime researcher and RedHanded co-host, and Suruthi Bala, RedHanded co-host and commentator, unpack the Jodie Foster–John Hinckley Jr. saga. They trace Taxi Driver’s eerie influence, Hinckley’s obsession and descent, the assassination attempt on Reagan, and how the trial reshaped US criminal justice and insanity defenses.
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Taxi Driver Anticipated Modern Manosphere
- Taxi Driver reads as a modern diagnosis of manosphere fantasies and lone-ranger toxic masculinity that map directly onto today's online radicalization.
- Hosts note Scorsese and Paul Schrader anticipated pickup of these themes decades before they normalized in online communities.
Jodie Foster's Child Acting Background
- Jodie Foster started acting at age three and by nine had a near-fatal mauling on Napoleon and Samantha, showing early exposure to intense industry situations.
- At 12 she filmed Taxi Driver as Iris, sometimes replaced by her older sister for explicit moments, which amplified the film's disturbing realism.
Hinckley Became Travis Bickle After 15 Viewings
- John Hinckley Jr. watched Taxi Driver 15 times that summer and adopted Travis Bickle's persona, wearing army fatigues and obsessively writing in a diary.
- His identification with Bickle directly shaped his escalating fascination with guns and vigilantism.